There is a case that a fuse is disposed within a circuit by using a fuse connector. The fuse connector includes a connector housing having a plurality of aligned terminal housing rooms and a plurality of fuse terminals housed within each of the terminal housing rooms. The fuse includes a fuse body for supporting a fusible part and a pair of tab terminals which are supported by the fuse body and coupled to the fusible part. Then, the pair of tab terminals of the fuse are inserted into a pair of the adjacent fuse terminals within the connector housing, whereby the fusible part of the fuse is disposed between the pair of fuse terminals.
This kind of the fuse terminal of the related art is disclosed in a patent literature 1, for example. As shown in FIGS. 11 to 13, this fuse terminal 50 is fabricated by subjecting a conductive member stamped into a predetermined shape to a bending process. The fuse terminal 50 is configured by a terminal contact part 51 and an electric wire crimping part 70. The terminal contact part 51 includes a pair of side wall parts 53, 54 fabricated by bending a bottom wall part 52 and portions respectively extended from the both side ends thereof, and a top wall part 55 fabricated by bending the upper end of each of the side wall parts 53, 54. A square-shaped frame 56 is configured by the bottom wall part 52, the pair of side wall parts 53, 54 and the top wall part 55. A front wall part 57 formed by bending the front ends of the side wall parts 53, 54 and the front end of the bottom wall part 52 is disposed at the front surface of the frame 56. A front insertion port 58 is formed by an area not covered by the front wall part 57. An upper insertion port 59 communicating with the front insertion port 58 is formed at the top wall part 55. The tab terminal (not shown) of the fuse is inserted within the frame 56 from the front insertion port 58 and the upper insertion port 59.
A pair of contact terminals 60, 60 formed by subjecting the notched portion of each of the pair of side wall parts 53, 54 to an inward bending process are disposed within the frame 56. Since the contact terminals 60, 60 are integrally formed at the rear ends thereof with the side wall parts 53, 54, respectively, each of the contact terminals acts as a contact terminal of a cantilever type and a leaf spring type. Notched parts 60a, 60a are formed at the lower portions of the tip end sides of the contact terminals 60, 60, respectively.
In the aforesaid configuration, when the tab terminal (not shown) of the fuse is inserted within the frame 56, the tab terminal is inserted between the pair of contact terminals 60, 60. When the tab terminal is made in contact with the pair of contact terminals 60, 60, each of the pair of contact terminals 60, 60 elastically deforms to the outside to allow the insertion of the tab terminal, whereby the tab terminal is inserted to an insertion completion position. The pair of contact terminals 60, 60 and the tab terminal are closely made in contact from one another by a contact load due to the elastic restoring force of each of the contact terminals 60, 60.